December 04, 2020 (232News)
By Minister Marcus Degaulah Williams (Leader and founder of the Ministry)
The world is getting worse every year, month, week, day, hour and second. Negative things are on the rise. Death, immorality, evil escapades and so many other things just like how Apostle described it in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. (Read the remainder). And with all of these happenings, together with society’s expectation and demands, man is now faced with a greater threat which has to do with his peace and mental health.
Anxiety and depression is killing many and also putting a lot of people in a discomfort state. Two ways its happening. First has to do with the unknown. One thing man cannot do is to know or have a clear picture of the future. The future is unknown. So because it is, many are anxious of what is going to happen tomorrow. Many worry based on the circumstances they find themselves, they worry about what tomorrow will bring, worry on what to eat, what to wear, whether they’ll pass their exams, for finances, for their loved ones to be alive. They worry and are anxious because they don’t know these things.
The second has to do with their current predicament. The state a man finds himself determines his mental health. Many people are depressed with their current situation. It can be because of loss of loved ones, illness of love one, stress at work, higher expectations in school, pressure from family demands, unemployment, the feeling of stagnation, the feeling of being left behind by friends, the feeling of being insignificant to society, financial struggles and so many others not mentioned. Threat to the peace and mental stability of man is becoming a serious issue that needs to be addressed. So what can be done?
Before I go to the solutions, it’ll be important for me to point out exactly why man needs peace and mental stability.
First of all, mental health was defined by the WHO as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”. Being mentally or emotionally healthy is much more than being free of depression, anxiety, or other psychological issues. Rather than the absence of mental illness, mental health refers to the presence of positive characteristics.
Hence mental soudness is a must for every man to have. For a man to perform at his best and pursue his purpose and desired goals, he needs to be sound and healthy mentally. But this is the issue because even though the world is fighting hard for man to be mentally stable and healthy, they don’t have a generic solution to this problem as the causes to mental illness varies. But God does. God has a solution to this. Even though the causes are different but in Christ, there is a solution to all these. And in all these, the church has a huge role to play to ensure the mental stability of man.
I want to deal with 2 important tools to keep one mentally stable. One has to do with the individual and the other has to do with people and the environment. And so we will go through the first one today. The first solution that has to do with man when it comes to his mental stability and peace of mind has to do with his FAITH IN GOD. Man’s faith in God activates peace of mind. For man to be at peace in his mind, his trust in God becomes very significant.
In the introduction of this series, I mentioned that one of the reasons why man becomes mentally unstable or lacks peace, is because he is worried about the future he knows nothing about and also about his current predicament. He’s afraid of what tomorrow will bring (fear of the unknown). So logically what will alley his fear is when he has an idea of what will happen tomorrow. But the problem now is, it is impossible because man cannot know exactly the things that will happen tomorrow. So this is where faith and trust in God comes in, because God is the only one that knows the future. He is the only one that knows the unknown.
Trusting God means you are aware of the unchanging truth that no matter what you suffer or go through, in the end, God will use it for your ultimate good. Isaiah 26:3- You keep him in PERFECT PEACE whose MIND is stayed on you, because he TRUSTS YOU. When you trust in God, He gives you an unusual peace of mind. He gives you peace that passes all understanding. You will have peace and sound mind not because you know the future, but because you trust the one who knows and holds the future. Hence your faith and trust in God is very key towards man’s mental stability and peace of mind.
The next solution to man’s stability is one which has to do with the role of the church(believers). The Church has a massive role to play when it comes to helping man keep his mind stable in the midst of ordeal and difficult circumstances. Depression and anxiety always gets the best of people when they usually feel alone in what they are going through. When there’s no one around to talk to, someone to listen, it becomes hard to be strong mentally. The church should be there to listen. The believers are the church.
The church is a direct representative of God to Man in general. It is the body of Christ, and it is what God uses to reach out to his people. Love is one big tool in the fight for man’s mental stability and peace of mind. I’m not talking about love with just empty words, but I’m talking about love, both in deed and truth, 1 John 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. The love of the church to people is crucial in ensuring man’s mental health. Love in respect to the provision of spiritual, emotional, physical, social and financial support. Every man needs to know that he is not alone. Every man needs to feel he is significant to society.
They need someone to tell them the right things and give them the right words. Someone to tell them that Jesus loves them, someone to show them through an act of love that Jesus cares. To tell them that there is still hope and Christ is that hope. Someone to show them how good they are and can be. The church needs to make itself available for those struggling in silence. To be there together with them in their struggles and failures, to be there in their darkest times and telling them it’ll be fine. To listen to them, mourn with them, cry with them and just be there for them. LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY BELONG, THEY ARE LOVED AND THEY ARE IMPORTANT TO SOCIETY
Since we have discussed what mental health is, talked about anxiety and depression and also proffered solution to keep man mentally stable with peace of mind. I want to share with you the most important aspect of it all. I want to share with you what will make the solutions provided towards man’s mental stability work more effectively and efficiently. It in itself is the greatest solution. This solution I am talking about is receiving the life of Christ. A man that has the life of Christ is assured eternal peace.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. In the fight against depression and anxiety, the first and most important weapon a man needs is salvation. Trust me, I have done this with someone and it worked. It is the foundation towards succeeding in the fight against mental illness. This is the reason why in the midst of chaos in the world, the children of God are at peace, not that we are not it the storm, cos we are, its just that we are not fazed by it because our minds is at peace knowing fully well that Jesus is in the storm with us.
Faith comes by knowledge, the more we know God the more we trust Him. And salvation is what produces in us the faith in God’s ability to look after us which in turn activates peace of mind and mental stability. So if you are going through mental illness and haven’t met Jesus, you should meet him and receive his gift of life. But if you have met him, continue to trust in Him in every circumstance and do not forsake the company of believers. Jesus really loves you and cares about your mental wellbeing. So believe these words and keep trusting in God.
About the Ministry of Reconciliation
The Ministry of Reconciliation was established by Minister Marcus Degaulah Williams in 2016 after a revelation from the Holy Spirit.The Ministry is an Interdenominational Christian Youth Ministry, which embraces everyone, all religion and to all doctrines.The Ministry is focused on the reconciliation of young men and women in high schools, universities and beyond, as we believe in catching them young for Christ. Raising of leaders in our generation and equipping them with enough of the WORD of God, there by encouraging them to replicate the same in the lives of other young people.
Vision
To reconcile men [young men and women] unto God and to make them disciples of Jesus Christ [2 Cor 5:18; Matt 28:19-20].
Mission
To introduce Jesus Christ in the hearts of every man.
Structure of the Ministry
The ministry is divided into four sub ministries, to which every leader/member should belong The Sub groups are:
❖ Empowerment Group
❖ Success Group
❖ Dominion Group
❖ Favour Group
These sub ministries are structured to perform different tasks within the organization. Tasks ranging from discipleship, following up members, School outreaches, Saturday fellowships to training Members to become leaders. In addition, to the four Sub Ministries there are other very important departments;
The Media Team, The Literature Department, The Ladies’ Ministry, The MOR Choir-alias MOR Voices & The MOR Drama Team
which are geared to train members in additional stills
Activities of the Ministry. The Ministry undertakes different activities in order to achieve the Ministry’s vision.The Activities include
❖ Saturday Fellowship
❖ School Outreaches
❖ Discipleship and Mentorship
❖ Community Bible Studies,
❖ Leadership Conferences,
❖ Church Outreaches
❖ Love Express
© Ministry of Reconciliation–Sierra Leone. Please feel free to contact the Ministry on the following contact details
Telephone and WhatsApp Contact:
+23276931955
Facebook: Ministry of Reconciliation-MOR
Email: Ministryofreconciliationmor@gmail.com
